Posted on 07/07/2010 10:11:10 AM PDT by C19fan
It's up to David Petraeus now. One can argue the merits and the import of a civilian-led military (and find no disagreement here). But if General Petraeus had collapsed during that Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last month and not gotten back up, the war would be over.
When he ascended to command in Iraq, with a name torn from ancient Rome and a plan pulled from the spirit of Frederick the Great (misattributed, "L'audace, l'audace, toujours l'audace!"), he brought order to chaos. Not just on the battlefield, but in living rooms, around water coolers, and on military bases the world over. David Petraeus, with his Ph.D from Princeton and a Ranger tab on his shoulder, assuaged fears that the combat zone was a partisan playground and the United States still shackled to Vietnam. Here was a man who'd taken a bullet, been awarded Valor medals, and doesn't vote so as not to get dragged into the undertow of Washington politics.
(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...
Genrals to hold General of the Army or 5 star rank
Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, Marshall, MacArthur, Eisenhower, Arnold, Bradley.
I have no trouble with it, but make him Chief of Staff of the Army.
This from “The Atlantic”? Positively remarkable.
Awarding Petreus a sixth star strikes me as the kind of jimcrack thingy that Obama would do. Too many things wrong with the idea to start to mention.
Flattery and ego aside, how about giving the general rules of engagement that won’t get our troops killed while also giving him the tools to eradicate the enemy?
I don’t think they will do that because it would have him senior to Admiral Mullen the Joint Chief of Staff. Maybe if they promote both of them it would work. I don’t believe that they will have anyone senior to Admiral Mullen.
By my memory, stars are awarded to establish hierarchy among a group of fellow generals.
The amazing thing is that _now_ the libs like The Atlantic want to heap praise on General Petraeus!
0bamao would never allow it. It might take some of the spotlight off of him.
Thanks C19fan.
He’s essentially a theater commander now. that’s a four-star rank.
Ike had five stars, right, as Supreme Allied Commander?
I don’t know what you’d do to pay him more. I guess you could give him the fifth star for the pay bump.
I’d think his wife and family would have been pissed. He’s finally home for a while, and then McChrystal decides to spill to Rolling Stone of all magazines.
It’ll be about 2025 before we blow the last of the 60’s generation out of the system I guess.
Commander, U.S. Forces Afghanistan is subordinate to Commander, U.S. Central Command, and then to the Secretary of Defense. The Unified Combatant Command chain of command does not run through the Chairman of the JCS.
I do not know if Commander, ISAF is subordinate to the NATO Allied Commander, Operations.
If Congress created an exception were created to Goldwater-Nichols, a position of Supreme Commander, ISAF could be created which reported directly to the President and the Secretary General of NATO. This could justify five-star rank.
I actually believe such an action is warranted if we view the war against Islamic extremism is an existential war, and not simply a regional theater battle.
In 1976, President Ford posthumously appointed George Washington General of the Armies of the United States and specified that he would rank first among all officers of the Army, past and present. Presumably, therefore, Washington would need six stars.
That is very interesting and if that worked he certainly deserves his fifth star...I never doubted that but just didn’t think it would work, but it looks like it could very well.
What a bunch of dopes.
This is nothing more than “grade inflation.”
The guy is a theatre commander. Nice 4 star slot.
Perhaps if we open another front in Iran the Cent Com guy can be a 5 star...
No. Make him Joint Chiefs chairman when Mullen's retires. But four stars are enough.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.